


Between the Lines

by CaitN



Category: Battle Creek (TV), Criminal Minds
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-04
Updated: 2015-09-04
Packaged: 2018-04-18 23:08:59
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,019
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4723712
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CaitN/pseuds/CaitN
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The BAU is called to help with an apparent serial killer in Battle Creek and Russ is less than pleased. Especially when it turns out that one of the visitors is a distant relation.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Between the Lines

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Draycevixen](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Draycevixen/gifts).



"Battle Creek, Michigan," Penelope Garcia said, as everyone gathered around the table. "Two women murdered, just four days apart." A photo of a young brunette flashed on the screen. Happy, smiling. "Tara Johnson, single, aged twenty-seven. Found dead in her apartment, strangled." Another picture, this one not so nice. The victim sprawled on a bed, fully clothed ,but on further examination, you could just see the start of blue and purple ligature marks around her neck. She had matching ones on her ankles and wrists. She grimaced as the next picture showed a close up of the woman's hands. "Her left ring finger was missing."

The next picture was a driver's license photo of a stocky Hispanic woman. Older looking this time. "Anna Ruiz, single, aged forty-two." The picture changed. "Also found dead in her home, strangled, left ring finger missing."

"Any signs of sexual assault?" J.J. asked.

"Unfortunately, yes," Penelope answered with a grimace.

"I have a bad feeling about this one," Hotch said. "I don't think these women were his first and but I hope we can make sure they're his last." He turned his tablet off. "Wheels up in twenty."

\-----------------------------------------------

"Call them back, Milt."

"No, we need their help. Just admit it."

"No we don't, it's a simple murder."

FBI Special Agent Milton Chamberlain, in charge of the Battle Creek, Michigan field office (okay, so he was the _only_ agent in Battle Creek, but he had a secretary so that did put him in charge of at least one person) pushed back from his oversized desk and stood up. He tugged on the sleeves of his suit coat and headed around the desk, around Russ and toward the door.

"There's nothing simple about murder."

Russ followed him down the hall and into the men's room. "You know what I mean."

Milt stopped in front of a urinal and looked questioningly at Russ. "Do you mind?"

"Whatever." Even so, he turned around to give the other man some privacy.

"I'm telling you Milt, you're going to find out it was a jilted ex-boyfriend, or the crazy new girlfriend of a jilted ex-boyfriend. There's no way it's a serial killer."

"Two women killed in exactly the same manner in the span of a little over a week? Seems like a serial killer to me?"

Russ heard the sound of a zipper going up and turned around. He watched as Milt washed his hands.

"What about the rule of three, huh? Don't you need three murders to consider it a serial killer?" He wasn't going to give up so easily.

Milt shook his head. "Special circumstances."

"What?"

"Listen, the guys in the BAU are the best in the Bureau, hell, the best in the world. And there's no shame in needing help." He put his hand on Russ' shoulder, only to have it roughly shaken off.

Russ muttered something under his breath that possibly rhymed with "stick shed."

Milt walked out of the restroom and toward the front of the building, consulting his watch. "Besides, their plane has already landed. They should be here any minute."

\--------------------------------------------------------

As Agent Aaron Hotchner and his team exited the black sport utility vehicles, Garcia struggled with her rolling case of awesomeness (aka her laptop and other electronics she couldn't leave the office without). Morgan helped her right it, and she flashed him a smile. He winked and headed toward the front of the building. She turned to follow, still a tiny bit peeved that she'd had to accompany the team on this mission. Due to a new Bureau regulation that stated all non-field agents had to have a minimum of sixteen hours of field experience each year, she was missing a night on the couch in her comfiest pajamas, a bowl of popcorn, and getting lost in the soon-to-be-kick-ass game 'Camelot Unchained' (she helped one of the programmers out of a tight spot a few months back and he hooked her up with the advanced group of beta testers). And besides, wasn't the whole point of being a non-field agent to not be in the field in the first place? 

She looked ahead at the man Rossi was shaking hands with. Tall and athletic looking with the type of smile a woman could get used to seeing in the morning. It must be their contact, Agent Chamberlain.

Garcia switched her bag to her left hand and turned her attention to the other man standing on the building steps. Shorter, stockier and with a frown that encompassed his whole body, it took a few seconds for recognition to set in. When it did, she dropped the handle of her bag and yelled, "Rust bucket?"

Russ jerked his head at the sound of her voice and he squinted in her direction. Recognition took longer for him (it had been a couple of decades - give or take a few years). "Penny loafer?"

She rushed forward to grab him in a big, bear hug. He patted her back awkwardly and grimaced. (Russ had never been known for his public displays of affection. Not counting kissing Holly in front of the whole squad room.)

"I should have known you'd still be here," Garcia said, pulling back and smiling widely. "I knew we were coming to Battle Creek, but it's been so long since I've even thought of this place."

"Yeah, yeah it has been a long time."

"I take you two know each other?" Reid said.

"We're first, second, third cousins, twice removed or something." She looked at Russ, but he just shrugged his shoulders.

"Anyway, it's complicated, but I spent a few summers up here when I was young. You wouldn't believe--" 

"There will be time for catching up later," Hotch interrupted, reminding her why they were there in the first place.

"Yes, sir," she replied feeling guilty for being excited when two - at least two - women were dead and the killer still out there.

As the group filed inside, Milt hung back and held the door open for Penelope. He asked quietly, "Rust bucket?"

She chuckled wickedly. "Oh the stories I could tell."

 

THE END

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks to wanderingoutlaw for the quick beta. Any remaining mistakes are on me. And thanks to draycevixen for the wonderful ideas in her "Dear Author" letter!


End file.
